Broadway patios are good for city

I applaud the City of Saskatoon for making a concerted effort to enhance our city by reducing fees and restrictions on parking patios. This attempt to capitalize on the beautiful, but short, summer season has put Saskatoon more in line with other progressive cities.

While certainly we have lost a few parking spaces, something doesn’t quite make sense with Tim Bannan’s complaint about patios on Broadway Avenue.

He fully admits that Broadway was entirely closed to traffic for several weeks due to construction in 2016, yet somehow the six parking spots that have patios on them now has caused him to lose $3,000 in business?

I’m guessing there are several other possible reasons for this: random one-off fluctuation, Sask. Party increasing taxes and making life a lot harder for the middle class, etc.

If his business is indeed “destination shopping ” I imagine his customers would be well versed with the historic difficulties of parking next to his establishment in the busy Broadway district (has this “No. 1 beef with our customers” only occurred this summer?) I am very put off by this owner’s lack of community spirit. Patios make the area feel even safer, warmer and more welcoming.

I am now a potential customer for any business near a street patio because I’m much more likely to spend time in this new, welcoming environment.

I sincerely hope that Mayor Clark and councillors like Cynthia Block and Troy Davies continue to create initiatives that enrich our beautiful city — for both residents and businesses alike. Andrea Book, Saskatoon